Abstract:
This dataset contains records of births and deaths among infants up to one year of age, by county of maternal residence. State and county level indicators calculated from this dataset include total fertility rate, sex ratio, percent premature births and infant mortality rates (neonatal, perinatal, postneonatal).

This dataset contains records of births and deaths among infants up to one year of age, by county of maternal residence. State and county level indicators calculated from this dataset include total fertility rate, sex ratio, percent premature births and infant mortality rates (neonatal, perinatal, postneonatal).

Purpose:

The purpose of the Oregon EPHT Program is to provide scientific information from a web-based network of hazard, exposure, and health effect data to support actions that improve the health of communities. By bringing together, and standardizing, local, state, and national data sources of environmental and health information, scientists, policymakers, and the public will be able to more effectively address fundamental questions about relationships between environmental exposures and health effects.
The Oregon EPHT Program is part of a National EPHT Network sponsored by the CDC. The Oregon EPHT Program resides in the Research & Education Section of the Office of Environmental Public Heath (OEPH) which is in the Public Health Division of the Oregon Health Authority.

Supplemental information:

The Oregon Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Program obtains calendar year birth and death records annually through an agreement with the Oregon Center for Health Statistics (CHS). Population data used to calculate the total fertility rate are annual estimates obtain from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Access constraints:
Restricted (secure) data will only be released to external users after the Oregon EPHT Program has reviewed the request. The request must include an Application for Release of Restricted Data along with a Data Use Agreement and, if deemed necessary, a research protocol and proof of approval by, or exemption from, an Institutional Review Board (IRB) formed and maintained in accordance with the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Code of Federal Regulations for Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR 46, revised March 8, 1983).
Oregon Institutional Review Board information is available at: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/irb/index.shtml. The Oregon Administrative, Technical, and Physical Safeguards Policy is located at http://www.dhs.state.or.us/policy/admin/privacy/100_005.htm

Use constraints:

Efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the data. However, no responsibility is assumed by Oregon EPHT or the Oregon Center for Health Statistics related to this material or how it is represented by those who access the information.

The Center for Health Statistics (CHS) maintains all Oregon birth and death records. Oregon EPHT makes no representation regarding the completeness of data.

Lineage:

Source information:

Source contribution:

The Center for Health Statistics is responsible for maintaining approximately 6 million vital records. Birth and death records have been filed with the state since 1903. Marriage records have been filed since 1906, divorce records since 1925, and fetal death records since 1919. Death record data are available from 1989 to the present on a client server for public health surveillance by HIPPA-trained state employees. Data from earlier years (1958+) are stored on mainframe tapes/cartridges.
Oregon law requires that vital events such as births, marriages, divorces, and deaths be recorded and registered. CHS is also responsible for compiling and analyzing the data from vital records. These data are used throughout the state and nation for program planning and policy development and are the primary data sources used for measuring many Oregon health benchmarks.
Beginning in 2006, the death system was re-engineered to collect data through a web-based application. At the same time, the format and type of data collected changed to match the most recent standard set by the CDC in 2003.

Sex ratio is based on term singleton births. Term births are those for which gestation is equal to or greater than 37 weeks. Singleton births are those for which only one child is born.
The total fertility rate is the average number of births expected for a hypothetical cohort of 1,000 women of reproductive age (15-44 years) over their lifetime. It is based on total births during the time period of interest.
Infant mortality is the number of deaths occurring at less than 1 year of age. Neonatal mortality is the number of deaths occurring at less than 28 days of age. Postneonatal mortality is the number of deaths from 28 days to 1 year of age. Perinatal mortality includes deaths occurring after 28 weeks of gestation and before 7 days of age.
Premature birth refers to the birth of a baby before its organs mature enough to allow normal survival, growth and development. The EPHT prematurity indicator consists of three measures: percentage of preterm births, percentage of very preterm births and percentage of births with very low birthweight. These measures are based on live singleton births only, because multiple births are disproportionately associated with premature births.
Preterm birth occurs when a baby is born after a pregnancy of less than 37 weeks. A birth is classified as very preterm birth after a pregnancy of less than 32 weeks. A low birthweight baby is defined as one weighing less than 5 pounds and 8 ounces (2.5 kg) at birth. A very low birthweight baby is defined as one weighing less than 3 pounds and 4 ounces (1.5 kg) at birth. Birthweight and length of gestation are highly correlated, so preterm births are often associated with low birthweight.

In preparation of this data, every effort has been made to offer the most current, correct, complete, and clearly expressed information possible. Nevertheless, some errors in the data may exist. This data does not represent the official legal version of source document or data used to compile this data. Oregon EPHT reserves the right to make changes to these data. Persons or entities given access to restricted data are liable for compliance with Oregon data use agreements.

Custom order process:

For access to unrestricted public use national and multistate data, please see: www.nationalephtn.org. For access to unrestricted public use Oregon data please see http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/epht.
For access to restricted or secure data please see Access Constraints section for release of restricted data.